US Forces Attack Iranian Launchers in Hormuz Strait

Tehran. US forces have attacked two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island. This is the first US military strike on Iran since the end of July. The action was taken after forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were found preparing rocket attacks with sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, said Commander Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The IRGC confirmed that some of its personnel were killed and some injured in Sunday's attack, warning of a 'response and punishment'. Later, according to Iranian state media, Iran claimed to have attacked US military targets in Jordan. The Jordanian army announced that it had neutralized eight missiles violating its airspace immediately after the attack. Last week, President Donald Trump claimed that all sea mines laid by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz had been removed. Trump had warned that any ship or boat laying new mines would be destroyed. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi called Trump's claim 'propaganda'. It is reported that Iran is currently forcing tankers to pass by the island and is charging $2 million per ship. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohabbi called the US attack a 'strategic and fatal mistake' by the Trump administration. According to Iranian media, two people were killed and two were injured in this attack. In response, Iran claimed to have caused heavy damage by firing ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan's King Hussein and Al-Azraq. This war, which began after the US and Israel launched a fierce attack on Iran on February 28, has completed six months, due to which the Hormuz waterway, through which 20 percent of the world's oil and gas is transported, has become almost paralyzed.